1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to methods and systems for cooling electronic components such as processors in servers and other computing devices, and, more particularly, to a design for fan modules that facilitates installation into and removal from a computer chassis (e.g., a server chassis/box or the like) while also providing isolation of the operating fans from nearby computer components and/or the chassis.
2. Relevant Background
Removal of heat has become one of the most important challenges facing computer designers as failure to adequately cool devices can cause failure or operating problems. The rate of power dissipation from electronics components such as from processors (or CPUs) in high-performance server units continues to increase. In most cases, air cooling is used to remove heat from a heat generating surface of a CPU, a motherboard, and other components of the server or other computer/electronic product, with each chassis or box containing the heat generating components including one or more fans that draw air into the chassis or box to provide cooling and allow continued operation of the components.
An ongoing challenge for the design of cooling fans and fan modules is providing adequate retention within the server chassis while also allowing ready removal (e.g., hot swapping) for maintenance or replacement. Another challenge is to isolate the operation of the fans from the other components within the chassis. Specifically, it is desirable to isolate any vibrations generated by the fans from the motherboard or other portions of a server or computer. There remains a need for enhanced fan module designs that limit vibration transmission from cooling fans to a server or other computer chassis/box. Preferably, such fan module designs would also facilitate installation and removal of the fan modules from the chassis fan tray or deck while providing required module retention in a desired location.